Basil: What’s not to Love?

Basil: What’s not to Love?

Posted on 06/19/2012 at 09:22:26 AM by Student Blogger

By Joyanna Gilmour

Basil, easily recognized by its fragrant, green, oval-shaped
leaves, makes an appearance in many foods including pasta, salads,
sandwiches, cocktails and more. This delicious herb is best
known as the star ingredient in pesto, a thick paste made from
basil, pine nuts, oil, and parmesan cheese. First cultivated
in India thousands of years ago, basil has since been incorporated
into a variety of ethnic cuisines from Italian to Thai.

As well as adding a fresh taste to food, this bright green herb
also has beneficial health effects. Basil is a good source of
vitamin K: 2 tablespoons of fresh basil contains about 20% of the
daily recommended intake of this nutrient.(1) Fresh basil is also a
good source of beta-carotene, a powerful antioxidant that is
converted to vitamin A in the body. Antioxidants are vital for
keeping cells healthy and reducing the number of damaging free
radical molecules in the body. Basil is also widely used in
Ayurvedic medicine to treat a variety of ailments, including
arthritis and other inflammatory diseases. (2)

Basil oil, extracted from the leaves of the plant, is a natural
antimicrobial and can kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria.
Scientists have shown that basil oil reduces the growth of a number
of food-borne bacteria species including cholera (V. cholera) and
E. coli O:157:H7 (3-5). Given recent outbreaks of food-borne
illnesses, cooking with natural ingredients such as basil oil which
inhibit bacterial growth is a great way to make food safer as well
as tastier. Although basil shows promise as a natural
antibacterial agent, it's important to note that most scientific
studies looking at this question have been done in laboratory
settings using high doses of basil extract. The effect on bacterial
growth observed by home cooks using smaller amounts of basil or
basil oil is not clear.

In addition to its health-promoting qualities, basil is easy to
grow in a sunny windowsill or garden. A handful of basil
leaves can add a delicious flavor to a wide variety of dishes – a
few ideas are listed below!